While clustered file systems have historically supported data storage across multiple servers for easier access and scaling, they lack the sophisticated tools and capabilities required for comprehensive data management and orchestration. In addition, traditional clustered and distributed file systems tend to be costly, often requiring third-party software and complex integrations.
“Due to the complex data requirements driven by the heterogenous demands of traditional and modern HPC and AI workloads, organizations are facing uphill challenges to affordably manage escalating data volumes, support geo-distributed workflows and maintain the data access and flexibility they need,” said Mark Nossokoff, research director and lead analyst for Cloud & Storage, Hyperion Research. “By working to converge data management, orchestration and storage onto a single unified platform, Arcitecta is aiming to boost users’ data accessibility, manageability, and scalability. And with pricing based on concurrent users rather than on capacity-based data volumes being managed and eliminating the need for third-party software and file systems, Arcitecta is also seeking to significantly lower their customers’ costs.”
A Game-changing Universal Approach to Data Management
With the introduction of the Mediaflux Universal Data System, Arcitecta is driving a new industry standard as it builds on its vision of making data easy to access, manage, and use for value creation on a global scale.
"Intersect provides robust, innovative services and collaborative technology to support the world-class research at our member organisations and in the wider research communitiy," said Craig Hamilton, head of technology, Intersect. "With Mediaflux Universal Data System, our member researchers can access their own local storage through NFS and sFTP, creating a single data management environment distributed across Australia and wherever their data is stored. As a result, we can develop and deploy research data systems for our research customers as a managed service."
Key benefits and capabilities of the Mediaflux Universal Data System include:
• Converges data management, orchestration and storage within a single platform. An integrated approach that combines data management, data orchestration, and data storage within one system allows customers to easily access, manage, and utilize data assets more effectively to accelerate decision-making and innovation.
• Manages every aspect of the data lifecycle: On-premises and cloud, with globally distributed access. The Mediaflux Universal Data System extends data management throughout the entire data lifecycle from the moment data is acquired to its cataloging, transformation, dissemination, preservation, and eventual storage – whether on-premise, in the cloud, or distributed across the globe. This approach gives users more control over data while streamlining the processes as data moves through its lifecycle.
• Offers multi-protocol access and support. The system supports NFS, SMB, S3, SFTP and DICOM, among many others, to ensure the effortless integration of new technologies as they evolve, creating a more flexible environment and greater interoperability that, in turn, delivers a more seamless user experience and amplifies data accessibility.
• Empowers immense scalability. Mediaflux licensing is decoupled from the volume of data stored so organizations can affordably scale storage needs to hundreds of petabytes, accommodating hundreds of billions of files without the financial strain typically associated with such vast capacities. This model ensures that organizations can start small and grow data infrastructure as needs evolve without the concern of escalating costs.
• Provides the option to forego third-party software and clustered file systems. The Mediaflux Universal Data System offers clustered storage capabilities without the need for third-party software, whether a business is using block storage from one vendor or multiple vendors, and it can seamlessly integrate and manage all the data and storage within the environment.
• Enables significant cost savings. Customers can construct a storage ecosystem tailored to their specific requirements and achieve substantial cost savings by eliminating the need for third-party software, storage fabrics and volume-based pricing. Mediaflux’s pricing is based on the number of concurrent users, aligning pricing with the size of an organization rather than the volume of data under management. In addition, its intelligent data placement feature further optimizes storage efficiency by automatically tiering data based on usage and access patterns.
• Supports multi-vendor storage environments, allowing customers to choose best-of-breed hardware. The storage underlying the Mediaflux Universal Data System can be from any vendor or multiple vendors. The system enables customers to use any mix of storage technologies to best fit their requirements, create storage environments on a single site or multiple sites, and quickly move data between them.
Higher Performance, Greater Collaboration
The Mediaflux Universal Data System allows organizations to easily deploy geo-distributed storage environments with one global file system and local storage with capabilities that include:
• Taking the compute to the data. Mediaflux can take compute operations directly to the data without moving the data over a network. With a direct path approach, users can collaborate more effectively with a system that distributes compute algorithms to where the data resides. This approach is particularly important when the data is geographically distributed since transmitting data over large distances is expensive and inefficient.
• The power of metadata. With world-leading metadata capabilities, Mediaflux improves data discovery and fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing. The platform's global distributed access ensures data can be retrieved from any location, facilitating international collaboration among data-intensive organizations such as research facilities, universities, entertainment studios, and government institutions.
• Ultra-fast file transfer. Mediaflux’s integrated high-speed WAN file transfer features ensure ultra-fast and secure data transmission across vast distances, with throughput of up to 95% of the available bandwidth, including on networks of 100 GE or more. Its metadata and adaptive compression capabilities help increase speed further by eliminating redundant file and data transfers for optimized data movement.
“We are at a point in history where data is at the crux of everything we do. Mediaflux is a groundbreaking standard bearer in data management, providing a holistic view of data irrespective of its storage system or geographical location,” said Jason Lohrey, CEO and founder of Arcitecta. “Mediaflux Universal Data System is the culmination of Arcitecta's vision for the future of data management. By merging world-class data management, orchestration, multi-protocol access, and storage into one cohesive platform, we aim to set a new industry standard that moves beyond data storage and makes data more accessible, manageable and valuable than ever before.”